Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner has spoken for the first time in two years about his injury problems and an ongoing effort to return to competition.
In an interview with in the Las Vegas Review-Journal – the 33-year-old Swedish goalkeeper walked back the claim that he was unavailable and expressed frustration over his lengthy return to the ice and a Chapter 7 bankruptcy battle.
“I don’t need any sympathy or anything; fuck that,” he said during an exclusive phone interview with the Review-Journal.
“Bring up something that’s true, and I can handle it like a man. But everything is fake. No one has any idea what happened to my family and my life after a lot of these things, and a lot of people will obviously see in the future what really happened.”
“But this portrays me as if I’m missing and no one answers,” said Lehner, who did not tell the newspaper where he lived but said he is still in contact with family and loved ones.
Lehner also told the outlet that he previously granted power of attorney to his attorney, Zach Larson, but that he had not spoken to Larson since December 2023, when the goaltender was unable to continue paying his legal fees.
Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner spoke to the media for the first time in two years
Lehner discussed his ongoing bankruptcy and legal issues, as well as his personal struggles
‘But unfortunately other circumstances will come to light in the future, and people can judge me on that. I couldn’t keep paying,” Lehner said.
“And if I couldn’t keep paying, well, let’s just lie to the court and now the (newspapers) are saying this and it looks great for me (as a) father,” he said sarcastically.
In text messages with the newspaper after their phone interview was completed, Lehner also denied a lawsuit claiming he and his wife sold clothes, shoes and other items — claiming they didn’t exist.
Lehner believes that the negative attention he is receiving from this bankruptcy case is damaging his reputation.
“When I actually built a pretty good reputation since I was in rehab with a great year on Long Island (with the New York Islanders) – the best organization ever,” Lehner said.
“It was great until Chicago (Blackhawks). And Vegas (Golden Knights), I said it from the beginning, killer, I don’t care. They have no feelings and that’s why they win. Is it a good thing? Is it how it should be? Don’t know. We can debate it. I don’t care.’
Lehner did not comment on his physical condition or the injuries that have kept him off the ice since the 2021-2022 season.
He also declined to say whether these injuries, and the surgeries he underwent to repair them, ended his NHL career.
Lehner has not played in the NHL since the 2021-2022 season after injuries derailed his career
The 33-year-old netminder also talked about a reptile farm he owned that attracted a lot of attention after the farm’s former owner was murdered by his wife. He said he was “trying to do something good” with the animals on the property, but the way it was reported “wasn’t even close to what all these guys are saying.”
Lehner is in the final year of his contract with the Golden Knights. After failing to report to a physical to remain on “long-term injury reserve,” an agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA allowed Vegas to pay Lehner his season’s salary without it counting against the salary cap.
Later on Friday, Lehner posted a series of lengthy tweets after the Review-Journal article was published. DailyMail.com cannot verify the authenticity of these tweets but has contacted Lehner’s agent, the NHL, the NHL Players Association and the Vegas Golden Knights for comment or confirmation that the tweets came from him.
Lehner was drafted 46th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He would go on to play for Ottawa, the Buffalo Sabres, the Islanders, the Chicago Blackhawks and Vegas.
In the NHL, Lehner won the Jennings Trophy twice as part of the league’s fewest goals-against goaltending tandem. In 2019, he also won the Bill Masterton Trophy – an award given to a player who ‘best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey’.
Lehner has previously gone public with his struggles with bipolar I disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.